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Hi All,

The concensus is that two weeks gluten free is enough to cause a false
negative biopsy.  The replies I received were:

    Can cause false negative biopsy:        10
    Won't cause false negative biopsy:      0

Another 10 or so replies offered the suggestions summarized below and great
support.

No one was able to point to any formal/scientific investigation into the
recovery rates of villi.

The other suggestions/comments were:

* Yeast overgrowth (Candida) could also be a factor.

* Being anemic can be indicative of Celiac disease.

* Check for other food allergies.  Skin tests may not be sufficient.  A
blood test is available, see www.betterhealthusa.com.

* Negative results could come from "patchy" damage caused by gluten.

Thanks to everyone who replied!

Cheers,

Alistair Grant
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Alistair Grant" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2000 12:13 AM

> I would like to know if two weeks on a gluten free diet is enough to
> significantly increase the chance of a false negative biopsy...
>
> An article I found in the archives from a couple of years ago suggested
> that villi may recover in as little as 6 days.  Does anyone have any
> more recent information, in particular does anyone know of any formal
> studies into the recovery rates of villi?